With the LED products becoming varied, it is more complicated to select a LED bulb than ever today. Consumers have to choose between incandescents, CFLs, halogens and LED T8s, and a multitude of sizes and shapes, different bases, and of course widely differing prices.

The FTC has recently mandated that, by 2012, all light bulb packages will be standardized with new labels which will make it much easier to buy light bulbs, whether they be incandescent, LED, CFL or halogen. The main indicator on the light bulb package will be “lumens”, which will replace the current “watts”. Lumens represents the amount of light emitted by a light source, and is a more accurate measure of the brightness of a bulb.

Incandescent Watts

CFL Watts

LED Watts

Lumens (Brightness)

40
60
75 – 100
100
150

8 – 12
13 – 18
18 – 22
23 – 30
30 – 55

4 – 5
6 – 8
9 – 13
16 – 20
25 – 28

450
890
1210
1750
2780

So no matter what kind of bulb you are interested in from LED panel light, simply comparing lumens will enable you to compare the brightness level each bulb will deliver. After you determine the lumen level you prefer, you can then look to other indicators such as energy efficiency, lifetime run cost, and dimmability to select the ideal bulb for your application.

And you can also get into some LED forums or blogs to learn more information about new LED products and make a comparison.